


Still Waters

by carolinecrane



Series: Retrograde [3]
Category: CSI: Miami
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-01-02
Updated: 2004-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-27 23:45:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6304918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Food and conversation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still Waters

Tyler knows better than to try to convince Tim to do something other than eat lunch during their lunch break. There are things he could suggest, things he's thought about a thousand times before and wondered if he could convince Tim to go along with. He knows what he _wants_ to be doing instead of sitting across from Tim in a crowded deli, pretending he doesn't notice how moody and far-away Tim's been since they left the crime lab.

He thinks he might be out of his league. It's not that Tim's so much cooler than him, or even that he's a CSI while Tyler's just a lowly tech. It's more that Tim carries around so much baggage. Nobody knows what it's about; Megan was the closest to Tim when she was still around, and he always got the feeling that even she didn't know much about Tim's personal life. So now Tyler's the closest by default, but sleeping with Tim hasn't really given him any insight into what it is he broods about all day.

They've only been sleeping together for a couple weeks, just five nights together so far and yeah, he's counting. He still can't get over the fact that Tim went out with him in the first place, let alone that he keeps coming back for more. And maybe Tyler's been the one to instigate their dates -- if you can call what they do dating, because they haven't actually been out anywhere since that first, awkward dinner -- but Tim hasn't turned him down yet, and he's taking that as a good sign.

He wonders if this counts as a date, sitting at a table watching Tim pick at a roast beef sandwich that he's not planning to eat. And maybe it wasn't such a good idea to coerce him into leaving the lab for lunch, because it's obvious Tim's got something on his mind and he's not planning to share it with Tyler. He knows it's not work, because the lab's been so quiet for the past two weeks that they're all starting to go a little stir crazy.

"If I'd known you weren't hungry I could have thought up some other way for us to spend half an hour."

He's grinning when Tim looks up at him, looking startled for a second before his features relax into a smile. "Just half an hour?"

"Well we are on the clock," Tyler reminds him, trying and failing to look serious. "But we've still got twenty minutes..."

Tim laughs, his ears turning pink as he glances unconsciously around to make sure nobody's listening to them. And it's nothing, just a nervous laugh at an unfunny joke, but it's more than Tyler was expecting to get out of him. Besides, he likes shocking Tim. It's something he didn't even think was possible until that first time at the office Christmas party, and he's never been so grateful for office drama in his life. It gave him an excuse to flirt with Tim Speedle, anyway, and so far it's turning out a lot better than he ever expected.

"So what do you say, you wanna go make out in my car? We can pretend we're teenagers." As soon as he says it he knows it was a mistake. He doesn't know why, but he watches Tim's eyes cloud over and he wants to kick himself even though he has no idea what he did wrong. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"Forget it," Tim says, making an obvious effort to look like whatever Tyler said isn't bothering him. It's too late for him to take it back, though, and even though he knows it's a bad idea Tyler can't help wondering what it is about making out in a car that freaks Tim out so much. It's not like it would even be the first time they've made out in his car, but maybe Tim just doesn't approve of screwing around on company time.

He bites back another dumb joke about role playing and pushes his lunch aside; he's going to be sorry later if he doesn't eat, but right now all he cares about is Tim. More than anything he wants to ask what's wrong, what it is that's got Tim tied up in knots so often. He knows he won't get an answer, though, so instead he just smiles and reaches across the table to tap the back of Tim's hand. "Raincheck, then?"

He's surprised at how relieved he is when Tim smiles, and he's really in over his head if he's this worried about screwing things up when he doesn't even know what's going on between them.

"You busy tonight?" Tim asks, catching Tyler's hand in his own for a second before he lets go.

"I am now," Tyler answers, grinning just to see Tim smile again. "My place or yours?"

"I still owe you that dinner," Tim says, slowly, like he's been thinking about this for awhile. "Why don't you come over, I'll make something."

"You cook too?"

Tim shrugs and reaches for his Coke like it's no big deal that he's a genius _and_ a chef. And Tyler liked him for his brains first, but he's just starting to discover all the things there are about Tim to like. "My dad owns a restaurant, I picked up a few things when I was growing up. So is that a yes?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

~

A few hours later and he's actually nervous, but he's always been a good actor, so he's pretty sure Tim hasn't noticed. And he knows he shouldn't be, but he's been wondering since lunch whether or not this is Tim's way of evening the score. He tells himself he's just being paranoid, but there's something about the way Tim said _I still owe you that dinner_ that makes Tyler wonder if this is his way of making things even between them, of ending things before they have a chance to move past casual sex.

He's standing in Tim's kitchen, leaning against the counter and trying to stay out of the way while he watches Tim move around the room. If this is a 'thanks, it's been fun' dinner Tim's going all out to make sure he sends Tyler off right, because whatever he's cooking smells incredible. And he could just stand here and watch Tim cook forever, because he goes about it with the same singular intensity that he goes about his job.

Tyler's seen that intensity other places too, namely when Tim's mouth is stretched around his cock. Just thinking about it makes him shift restlessly, biting the insides of his mouth to stop himself from suggesting they forget dinner and move on to the entertainment. He's pretty sure it wouldn't work anyway, because Tim's obviously put a lot of effort into whatever he's making, and Tyler doesn't really mind giving him the chance to show off one of his hidden talents.

In fact, he's pretty sure he's the first person from work Tim's ever offered to cook for, unless Tyler's right and Tim lied when he said he never had a crush on Delko. He knows they're friends, anyway, but somehow he can't really see Eric hanging around watching Tim cook for him. He doesn't _want_ to picture that, because he likes telling himself he's the only one Tim's ever done this for. It makes what they're doing feel less like convenience and more like an actual relationship, anyway, and as pathetic as it sounds, at least it's something.

He doesn't realize he's staring until Tim's standing right in front of him, and he blinks and focuses just in time for Tim to lean in and reach around him. And he's not sure, but he thinks this might be some kind of cooking foreplay he's never heard about, because Tim's chest is pressed against his and God, he smells amazing. Too soon he straightens up, a bottle gripped in one hand and an uncomfortable expression marring his features.

"Marjoram," Tim murmurs by way of explanation, but for all Tyler cares he could have said 'cyanide', because all his attention is on the warm chest still pressed against his.

Tim starts to move away, but Tyler's faster and his hand closes around the front of Tim's shirt, hauling him back and hesitating just long enough to decide on the best angle before he fits their mouths together. He tastes sweet and a little salty, and he knows whatever they're having for dinner involves some kind of red sauce. Homemade, if the way Tim's been fussing over that pot on the stove is any indication, and Tyler knows he's one of those cooks who tastes as he goes along when he catches the flavor lingering on Tim's tongue.

"Family recipe?" he asks when he finally lets go again, smirking at Tim's slightly dazed expression.

"Needs marjoram," Tim answers, holding up the bottle in his hand.

Tyler thinks about telling him that it tastes pretty much perfect already, but Tim's the expert, so he just nods and leans in for another kiss. This is the first time they've really done this; he can't count their first date, because Tim was pretty confused the whole time, and since then they've more or less made it a contest to see how fast they could get out of their clothes. There wasn't even much conversation over lunch, because Tim was busy brooding and Tyler was afraid to say something else that would make it worse.

So this is really the first time they've just hung out, and even though he's pretty sure they'll end the night in Tim's bed, he's not in a hurry. He likes Tim, likes spending time with him and likes listening to him talk in terms most people wouldn't understand about evidence and suspects and motives. Even before he ever thought he had a chance with Tim he liked talking to him, and he wants to make sure they keep spending time together after tonight.

Tim pulls away with one last brush of lips against lips, a crooked little smile making him look a lot younger than he is for a second before he turns back to the stove. Tyler waits until he's immersed in his red sauce again before he clears his throat, leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest.

"How's that case going?" he asks, turning the conversation to work because he knows that's the best way to get Tim talking, and mostly he just wants to hear that voice. "I heard you had new evidence on your floater."

"Finally got an I.D.," Tim answers as he shakes some of the marjoram into the sauce. "Some tourist, his boss reported him missing when he didn't come back from vacation. He was traveling alone, I guess that's why it took so long for anybody to notice he was gone."

"That's depressing."

Tim shrugs and stirs the sauce a few times before he lifts the spoon to taste it again. Tyler watches the progress of the wooden spoon to his mouth, his lips parting when Tim's do. Just for a second Tim closes his eyes, and Tyler digs his fingers into his arms to stop himself from doing anything that will delay dinner indefinitely.

Then Tim opens his eyes again, glancing at Tyler just in time to catch him staring. "That's what happens when you're all alone, I guess. Dinner's ready."

~

When he thinks about how they'd sound to an outsider Tyler can't help laughing. His timing is terrible, because Tim's right in the middle of explaining the saline content of the water in the dead tourist's stomach and why that means he couldn't have drowned in the ocean he was fished out of. He stops mid-sentence, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Tyler. "What?"

"Sorry," Tyler says, swallowing his laughter and doing his best to stifle a grin, "I was just thinking about what this would sound like to anybody else. Drowning victims aren't exactly a hot topic at most dinner tables."

Tim's features relax into a grin and he picks up his beer. "Yeah, my folks used to yell at me when I was in school for talking about 'unsavory topics' over dinner. Finally I just stopped talking at all."

"So you were always into forensics?"

He shakes his head and swallows a mouthful of beer before he answers. "First it was medicine. I was always into science, but for a while I was planning to be a doctor."

There's a story there, but Tyler's learned quickly to pick up on Tim's mood shifts, so he catches the hint of something like sadness in his eyes before Tim blinks and it's gone. He knows better than to push, at least not now. Someday he's going to ask all the questions he's pretty sure Tim doesn't want to answer, but right now he's just trying to make sure there's a 'someday' to look forward to.

"What about you?" Tim asks. "Were you one of those guys who carried a video camera around school?"

"No," he answers, laughing at the image of himself as a high school A/V geek. "I was going to be an actor. Studied film for awhile. I didn't get into the technical side of show business until college, but eventually I realized that a steady paycheck was a lot more attractive than Broadway."

"Broadway? Like singing and dancing, that kind of acting?" Tim looks shocked, and another little thrill courses through him at the knowledge that he can surprise a guy like Tim Speedle. He also looks like he's about to laugh, but Tyler's used to that reaction, so he just smiles and leans back in his chair.

"Laugh all you want, but I was the star of my high school drama club. I won awards."

"For acting?"

"Well the awards were for my dancing, actually. Tap, mostly, but I did some modern stuff with my dance group in Minneapolis."

"So do you sing too?" Tim asks, and he's smiling for real now, bright and incredulous and Tyler can't remember the last time he saw Tim smile that way. Maybe never, and that should be a crime.

"In the shower these days. I used to, though," he adds when Tim's smile starts to fade a little. " _Oklahoma, The Wizard of Oz, West Side Story_. I played a hell of a Tony."

Tim's still shaking his head like he's having a little trouble believing it, but Tyler can tell by the way he's smiling that he's trying to picture it. "You really wanted to be on Broadway?"

"Sure, why not?" Tyler shrugs and picks up his own beer, grinning over the top of the bottle at Tim. "I wasn't half bad, you know."

"I thought show business was all about who you were sleeping with," Tim says, his smile shifting, and now he's flirting. He's not really that good at it, but that just makes it cuter when he tries.

"You want a private audition?"

"This is the part where I offer you a seat on my casting couch, right?"

Tim smiles when Tyler laughs, and part of him wants to play along and see how far Tim's willing to take the joke. But there's another part of him that knows they'd have a lot more fun if they didn't have to worry about cleaning up the dishes later, so he shakes his head and stands up, picking up his plate and his empty beer bottle. "No, this is the part where you help me clean up so we don't have to deal with it later."

"I cooked," Tim says, his tone indignant, but he stands up and carries his own plate into the kitchen.

"Yeah, but if you help it'll be done a lot faster." He grins when Tim rolls his eyes, turning on the sink and letting the water heat up.

And it's...comfortable, hanging out in Tim's house, helping him do the dishes. He doesn't feel like they've been at this forever, but he knows he could get used to it, and he hopes Tim feels the same way. He tells himself not to get ahead of anything -- they've only been dating for two weeks, after all, and there's no telling where this is headed. But he wants this, and when Tim comes up behind him, a hand sliding across his hip as he leans across Tyler to drop another dish in the sink, he almost believes he can have it.


End file.
